


Celebration

by mochipii



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, Mention of Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:09:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24443383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mochipii/pseuds/mochipii
Summary: A celebration that Matsumoto Rangiku is not happy to be a part of.
Relationships: Hitsugaya Toushirou/Matsumoto Rangiku, Ichimaru Gin/Matsumoto Rangiku
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	Celebration

It’s been five years since they defeated Aizen. Things are normal again in Soul Society, the lives of shinigamis continues as usual. Hitsugaya Toushiro is still stuck with doing paperwork in his office while his Lieutenant is nowhere to be seen. She said that she’s going to deliver yesterday’s report to the First, it was five hours ago. At these times he wished she were actually dead somewhere so he can excuse her disappearance from work today.

He finally realized to called off the day when he noticed that his office is getting darker and he needs to get up to turn on the light. He decided to head home altogether. When he exits his office he saw a couple of his division member running in a hurry to go somewhere. He stopped one of them and asked what is going on. He didn’t realized it was this day, five years ago they defeated Aizen and since then there’s been an unofficial commemoration night of celebration in memory of that day. Usually it involves in inviting or abducting Kurosaki Ichigo from human world and held him captive for a few hours in Soul Society for a night of drinking party. Since Kurosaki now is old enough to drink he can imagine tonight will turn into an all-night drinking party. And now, he realized why his Lieutenant is nowhere to be seen.

As he was entering his quarter’s yard he heard someone calling for him. It was Captain Ukitake. He begged him to come to the Eighth, where the celebration takes place this year. Because with him going, Ukitake will have a non to minimum drinking buddy. As his health condition concerned, he’s unable to drink as much as normal people, let alone like his best friend, Captain Kyouraku. To him Hitsugaya is still a minor that’s still not allowed to drink alcohol. With that information, Hitsugaya is now one hundred percent convinced that, party plus Eighth Division equals Matsumoto missing from work. 

When they finally arrived in the Eighth common hall is already packed, everyone is present, even Captain Kchiki is here. Seeing Kurosaki is his pajamas and now in full blown rage to Renji and Ikkaku , he assumed that this year he’s being abducted again instead of invited to this party. Only Captain Commander Yamamoto is nowhere to be seen. Hitsugaya wonders if the Captain Commander is informed of this event. This is the first time he join this event, hell, he never knew such event exist until today and it’s been an annual event. 

He finally found an empty seat near Ise Nanao who quickly grew bored of the situation.

"Hello Sir, nice to have you here tonight. Help yourself with the food and the drinks", Nanao greets while holding back a yawn.

"Thank you Lieutenant Ise" Hitsugaya replied

"So, what brought you here tonight Sir? I don’t recall seeing you last year or the previous year…or…ever…?" Nanao seems more awake now she has come to some realization, " 

Why didn’t you ever come, Sir?"

"I didn’t….know about this until an hour ago" Hitsugaya hesitates a bit.

"What? How? WHAT?! You mean….? Rangiku never told you about this?" Nanao is fully awake now.

"No, she never told me about this"

"Oh…. Well, basically this event is already an annual event at this point, and I personally think we should start to get the Captain Commander’s approval to hold this event every year." Nanao explained.

"What? The Captain Commander never approved of this? You mean he doesn’t know that this thing even happening? But, Lieutenant Sasakibe is here? You mean he never told…? You all never bother to told…?" Hitsugaya stammered.

"Well yeah….about that. I’ve been insisting to tell him but Captain Kyouraku always told me that he’s going to personally tell The Captain Commander, since it was his idea to hold this event in the first place but…" 

"Nanao Chaaaaannnn…" Captain Kyouraku suddenly appear beside them. " Aah….Captain Hitsugaya, it’s nice to see you tonight. Why I haven’t seen you before? You know you MUST relax a little bit Captain…" Captain Kyouraku is now having his arm around Hitsugaya’s shoulder and a sake cup in his other hand, clearly drunk.

"Captain Kyouraku, I was just telling Captain Hitsugaya that we should make this event an official annual event. When are you going to officially report to Captain Commander?" Nanao asked.

Captain Kyouraku frowned, "After this Nanao Chan, I promised. I promised " said Captain Kyouraku waving his hand in front of Nanao, stopping her to press further on the topic.

"Now I must return to attend my guests. Now…where is Rangiku…? she promised to be my co host tonight" he said while getting up to find Rangiku.

Yeah. Where is Rangiku?

Hitsugaya excuse himself to Nanao to find his Lieutenant. Usually it’s not that difficult to find Rangiku in a party like this. But, this is strange. She’s not here. Looking around the great hall, he saw a glimpse of her golden hair slipping through the side door and quickly went after her. He almost lost her when she makes a turn in the corner but then he realized that Matsumoto is heading home to the Tenth. This is getting weirder since Matsumoto is also known to be last person to leave a drinking party, what is she doing home now? It’s not even midnight.

She stopped by her quarter’s door and just stood there, for a moment, head down to the ground, shoulders shaking slightly and slowly open the door and went inside. Hitsugaya is torn between going after her to check her condition or leave her alone for now. He decided to leave her alone and try to ask her the next day. The next day Rangiku came to work late, as usual, but something is different about her. She’s as cheerful and bubbly as usual but still, something is different. Hitsugaya couldn’t really say what. She did her paperwork as usual until lunch time comes, Hitsugaya finally asked her.

"Matsumoto, are you okay?"

"Huh? Captain, are YOU okay?" she asked back.

"I asked you first Matsumoto" he insisted.

"And I’m asking you if you’re okay Captain? Because you’re weird today" Matsumoto insisted back.

"What? Why me?" Hitsugaya answered back, confused.

"Yeah, you’re weird today Captain. You’re awfully quiet today not yelling at me, not even once today, I thought you might be sick. You should go to the Fourth if you do you know?" she said.

"Matsumoto! Okay! Stop! You can go now." Hitsugaya dismisses her, hates how his Lieutenant could easily turn the situation like that.

Hitsugaya sighed in his chair after she left. Damnit Matsumoto! He cursed. Suddenly he’s reminded of this weird condition of Matsumoto, she’s been like this before but he realized that he never pay much attention to it. That afternoon he bumped into Captain Kyouraku on his way to the Thirteenth to meet with Captain Ukitake obviously.

"Ooyy….Captain Hitsugaya….", he said cheerfully.

"Ah, Captain Kyouraku. Going to the Thirteenth I supposed?"

"Hahaha…you know me so well, Captain. Oh yeah, how’s Rangiku san?"

"Matsumoto? She’s fine. Why?"

"Well, she doesn’t look too well at the celebration the other day. She leaves the party before midnight. Can you believe that? She left me alone to entertain all of my guests, she promised me to co-host the celebration but she left early. But, good thing if she’s okay then, cause I could’ve sworn that I saw her cry or was it giggling? Hmm…I’m not sure but if you say she’s okay, it’s good then."

After Captain Kyouraku left, Hitsugaya went straight home and when he reached the yard he saw the front door of Matsumoto’s quarter a little bit open. He knocked and called her name three times, but no answer. He hesitated a bit turning his steps back to his quarter, when he felt that he couldn't ignore this anymore, so he knocked again and slowly slide the door open.

Rangiku's room is dim, the only light is coming from the desk in the left corner of the room, and right then, Hitsugaya heard Matsumoto taking a deep breath, and a muffled sob. 

Hitsugaya hurriedly approching her, and surprised at what he saw there. 

Rangiku is kneeling on the floor, hugging the lower end of a captain's haori she hung on the wall. The thing that shocked Hitsugaya the most is when he saw the sight of number three on that haori. It's Ichimaru's haori.

Hesitate at first, Hitsugaya made a step forward. "Matsumoto..." he said carefully. 

The sobbing sound stopped, Rangiku slowly turned her head, vision blurred unfocused because of the tears, "Captain...?" asking, fearing to address the wrong person eventhough she knew it was her Captain's voice.

"Matsumoto..."

Both of them now in a position where they don't know what to do in front of each other. Hitsugaya cursed himself, regreting his decission to open Matsumoto's room door earlier. Now seeing this scene in front of him, he don't know what to do next. Should he go to Matsumoto and...and what? hug her? wipe her tears? rip that traitor's haori to pieces? what? Never in his wildest imagination would he see something like this. His Lieutenant still mourning that traitor, secretly keeping his haori? how the hell she got them anyway? Is this what she's been doing every year after the death of that bloody traitor? mourning him? after all of the things he'd done to Soul Society?

"Captain..." Rangiku break the silence, now facing him, her back pressed to the wall where the haori hung. Protecting it. Rangiku knows how everyone's feeling about Gin, they hated him. That's why her first instinct is to put herself between her Captain and the only memory she had of her childhood friend.

Hitsugaya shocked at the sight of his Lieutenant do something like that. "Matsumoto..." he steps forward.

"Captain..." tears started to fall again. "Captain, please. No." Rangiku shakes her head, one hand raised to stop Hitsugaya from coming any closer.

"Please don't, Captain..." voice trembling, begging, but eyes focused now. Ready to fight her own Captain to protect that haori.

Hitsugaya has been in fights one too many times to understand how Rangiku is now ready to fight him over some silly clothing article. He took one more step closer and dropped to his knees. Putting himself in Rangiku's eye level.

"Matsumoto, I'm not going to do anything to you. Or the haori there," pointing at the hung garment on the wall.

Rangiku's eyes widen for a second when she saw her Captain kneels in front of her. Then she relaxed and lowered her gaze from him to the tatami floor.

Couldn't really decide on what to say Hitsugaya went, "Matsumoto, Kyouraku is looking for you. He said you promised to host the party with him." with a soft voice and a relaxed tone, going for a light topic to start a conversation.

The statement made her chuckled a little, she can imagine how a confuse Kyouraku's face looking for her.

They both went silent again while Rangiku calmed herself, both looking down on that spot in the tatami.

"Matsumoto, are you okay?" Hitsugaya asked after he felt Rangiku is calm enough and capable to reason with.

Rangiku took a deep breath, "No, Captain. I'm not" she answered with a sad voice Hitsugaya never heard of.

"Want to talk about it?"

Rangiku lifted her head, looking at her Captain when a single tear run down her cheek, "Not really Captain. But I know you must have wanted an explanation....for that." she pointed to the haori hung above her with her eyes. "I suppose I owe you an explanation anyway..." she added.

"I couldn't Captain." Rangiku started. "This time I couldn't handle it anymore. Having fun in an event that celebrated the death of the most important person in my life. Listening to them said terrible things about him." Rangiku's voice started to trembled, holding back tears, she took another deep breath to stop herself from crying again.

"I love him, Captain. I still do." she confessed quietly.

Hitsugaya waited patiently and listened as she continued her story on the most hated person in Soul Society. Hitsugaya knew enough of the story of them growing up together. But tonight he found another side of Ichimaru Gin that he never knew before. The realization of how no one can ever really know anyone is sickening, knowing that Ichimaru has another side of him that is actually good is the bitter pill he had to swallow tonight.

"That's why Captain, that day when he fled Soul Society with Aizen and Tousen, I snuck into his quarter at night and took this haori with me." Rangiku is cradling the haori in her arms now. "I know they would clean up his quarters and get rid of his belongings. I just wanted to have something of him to keep, to remember."

Hitsugaya sighed and moved to sit beside Rangiku, leaning against the wall. "I understand, Matsumoto."

Rangiku smiled hearing that.

"You keep that haori well Matsumoto, and don't ever let anyone else know about it. I don't think anyone else would be as understanding as I am tonight. If you need any help on that party next year, you tell me okay?"

"I will, Captain."

With that, Hitsugaya stood up, "You rest now, Matsumoto. Good night."

"Yes, Captain. Good night."

Hitsugaya slide open the door and remembered one thing he almost forgot to say, "....and, Matsumoto..."

Rangiku looked up to her Captain.

"I'm really sorry for your lost."

Hearing that sincere words from Hitsugaya brought another tears to her eyes, clutching Ichimaru's haori to her heart, she replied, "Thank you, Captain."

  
THE END


End file.
